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Sauna Heaters
All About Sauna Heaters
The sauna and the first
sauna heaters were invented in Finland over 2000 years
ago, when the Finns discovered the many health benefits of saunas. It was so
much a part of their culture that Finnish emigrants took the sauna tradition
with them wherever they went in the world, introducing it to other countries and
cultures. Since that time it has become extremely popular all over the globe,
while remaining an integral part of life in Finland itself.
Benefits of Saunas
The sauna experience is revered and honored in Finland, to the point that it is
viewed as a spiritual, almost sacred practice. It provides a number of health
benefits, including:
- Relief of muscle soreness
- Clearing of respiratory system
- Easing of discomfort from arthritis
- Cleansing of body toxins and improved circulation
- Relaxation and stress relief
So how does a sauna generate the heat and moisture necessary to make it such an
enjoyable experience? Let’s take a look.
The First Sauna Heaters
The key to any sauna is the heater, which has evolved tremendously since the
first saunas were built into embankments in the ground. Written records dating
back to 1112 describe the first saunas as using stones for heaters, with the
stones first being heated using a wood fire in a stone stove. This method
continued to be used as the Fins progressed to above-ground saunas built with
large logs.
The wood fire method of heating a sauna was a slow, smoky process. It took up to
12 hours to bring the room up to the proper temperature and smoke from the wood
fire remained in the sauna itself, turning the inside black with soot. The smoke
was eventually vented through a small air hole located in one of the walls so
that bathers could at last enter the sauna and begin soaking up the benefits.
Improvements to the Sauna Heater
Over time, sauna heaters evolved and improved as technology changed. The
open wood fire eventually gave way to metal woodstoves that used a chimney to
vent smoke to the outside. This type of sauna
room heater still took a great deal of time
to properly heat a room, though, so the sauna did not truly surge in popularity
until the advent of electric sauna heaters in the 1950’s.
For the first time, saunas could be quickly and easily heated using the
convenience of electricity instead of the traditional wood fire. This
improvement made it easier to own and enjoy a sauna, helping to spread it even
further into the mainstream of other cultures.
Today’s Sauna Heaters
Today there is a wide range of sauna heaters available, including electric, gas,
traditional wood-fired and infrared. These heaters offer unprecedented choice
and convenience for sauna enthusiasts, making it easy to put a sauna just about
anywhere you want one. Modern heaters also make it possible to enjoy your choice
of a wet sauna, a dry sauna, a steam sauna, a sauna using infrared heating
elements or a combination of these choices.
Sauna heaters still use stones to heat the sauna room, but they can be quite
sophisticated in how they heat the sauna, regulate the temperature of the air
and the stones, and use energy as efficiently as possible. They transfer heat to
your body by using a combination of radiant heat, heat conductive materials and
air convection to circulate both heat and moisture.
Next > Basic and
Advanced Sauna Heaters
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